Experimental Determination and Analytical Model of Friction Torque of a Double Row Roller Slewing Bearing

Abstract

In this paper, investigation on the friction torque of a double row roller slewing bearing which is operated in the azimuth axis of a gun turret is performed. For this purpose, a friction measurement test setup is designed and friction torque measurements are conducted. Tests are performed at low speeds and various loading conditions. Friction sources are decoupled and examined separately in order to fully understand effect of each component on friction torque of the slewing bearing. Therefore, friction caused by rolling motion and friction caused by two different types of lip seals are investigated. In addition, friction identification analyses are performed. In the analysis, load distribution of the bearing is calculated by finite element analysis software and rolling motion is simulated with a multibody-dynamic analysis program. In the end, analyses results are compared and verified with the test results.